My Master Piece - Blind Levi
by Bloody-Aliice
Summary: Modern AU. Blind!Levi x Photographer!OC. Levi is a successful CEO but a lonely man, partly due to his blindless, and partly to his foul mouth. Lenny is a bubbly woman in great need of company and victim of the most cliché situation out of all. A bit of coffee has been spilled and the story now begins.


Lenny was a nice girl, she always has been. No, actually, she was _the_ nice girl.

Yeah you know which one. The one that everybody is friends with because you just can't hate her, _she's too nice_. The one who has soft, wavy hair no matter what, and a clear skin, but once again, you cannot really jealous her to the point where you'd hate her. You simply can't.

But she was also that girl that everybody took for granted and enjoyed pushing her buttons, to try her limits. The nice girl people underestimated and never took time to get to know, because what else is there to see? She's just a nice girl.

"Hey, who's that chick over there?" "Oh Lenny? I'm in her math class, she's a nice girl."

"I heard that Blake didn't finish the night alone at your party last night! Do you know who it could be? Probably a girl from your class..." "Well, it can't be Lenny, she's too nice for that."

Isn't it weird how 'nice' can go from a compliment to a bitter insult depending on who speaks?

That fact took a long time before Lenny finally acknowledged the fact that, regardless how she would behave, people would always find her nice. The spectrum went from the genuine 'that's so nice!' to the sarcastic 'huh that's nice'. However, that period of her life was over, and today, in her late twenties, Lenny was a fulfilled photographer, with her own art gallery in Chicago, and a _nice_ little apartment in an old brick building that she took pleasure in decorating.

Yet, a dark spot stained that seemingly perfect life: she was lonely. Over the years, she learned to be more careful about what persons she allows to come into her life, to be more picky. Being used by her classmates when she was younger left a permanent scar on her, and a crack in her trust ability, which made her grow a bit more sarcastic and distant with people.

Which also explains how incredibly nervous she feels when she actually wants to talk to someone. It's like going on a roller coaster. Once you're in and started, it's okay, but the previous moments of anticipation are killing her!

Which happens to explain _why_ she is in this situation right now. The most cliché situation she could fathom: she spilled coffee on a handsome stranger, in front of the Café she goes to every morning before work.

"Oi! Watch it brat!" A male voice snapped at her.

"Shit!" Lenny exclaimed, slamming her hand over her mouth right as the words fell from her lips. She put her half empty take-away coffee cup on a nearby table and began to apologize profusely to the man. "I am so sorry, I should have paid more attention! Sorry, I- I'll clean it up-"

"Tch, stop it," the man hissed, stepping away. "This shit burns like hell," he muttered under his breath as he grabbed the stained shirt to lift it from his stomach.

"I'm sorry, I will pay it back if you want, it's all my fault," Lenny kept on rambling, blushing as people stopped by to watch what caused the tantrum.

"Keep your money, I have another one in my bag anyway," the man dropped the fact just like that, which caused the woman to finally stop staring at the brown stain on the white shirt and meet the man's eyes. But she couldn't see his eyes, because he wore glasses, black glasses that prevent her from seeing anything behind. It seemed weird to her since it wasn't even completely day yet, it was still very early in the morning, in October.

That's when it occurred to her.

Her eyes drifted from the man's face to his hand, that was holding a stick, and she also noticed how he seemed to watch the space next to her, rather than her face.

 _He's blind_!

A few minutes later, the man came out of the gents' restroom, with his new and perfectly white shirt on, as Lenny waited in the Café, pacing around like a caged lion. As soon as she spotted him, the woman walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder, gently, to show her presence before he walked away.

"Excuse me, Sir? Are you in a hurry?" She asked nervously, awaiting an answer. She was somewhat surprised that she managed to say those few words without stuttering, but the most difficult part was done now, and the rest should be okay.

"I guess not," he sighed. His eyes were still hidden behind the opaque glasses, but Lenny could see that his face was basically emotionless. The marks of a constant frown was drawn upon his forehead and the word _smile_ seemed foreign to him. "Why are you asking?"

"If you have a minute, I'd like to buy you a coffee and apologize properly," the woman said, a bit more confident than seconds before.

"What else is there to say? You said you were sorry. I don't want to take your time, you seem in a hurry," the man declined the offer, surprised by how calmly her dealt with this.

"I'm not awaited anywhere, I don't mind having a little talk," she insisted. "I'm Lenny by the way!" As a reflex, she offered her hand for him to shake, but he didn't even notice it and she awkwardly put her arm back on her side.

"Levi," he said as a way of introduction.

"Well Levi, it's nice to meet you!" Lenny smiled and she hoped it was noticeable in her voice. "Regardless of the context, I mean."

Suddenly, something seemed to snap inside him and he changed his behavior.

"Listen, I'm not really in the mood right now. Don't you have something better to do than wasting your time with a blind man?" He asked in annoyance.

"Now that was rude," Lenny said, arching an eyebrow and crossing her arms on her chest. "I'm going to ignore it, not because you're blind and I pity you, but because I'm a nice person, okay?" She put as much sincerity in her words as she possibly could, since she never faced a blind person and didn't know how to rely exclusively on her voice.

"Oi, don't yell brat, I'm blind not deaf!" Levi groaned, but his cocky attitude got replaced by an uncomfortable one. "Sorry for being rude. I'd like to say that it's nice to meet you too but I'm not sure we have met quite yet," he eventually stated.

"What do you mean?"

"Can I touch you?" He suddenly asked, causing Lenny's eyes to almost pop out. "That came out awfully wrong, sorry. I meant, can I touch your face? It's the only way for me to properly meet you."

The request seemed legitimate, but Lenny had something else in mind.

"I'll let you if you agree to have a coffee with me," she said.

"Are you blackmailing a poor blind guy?" Levi scoffed.

"Yes. Please, sit down with me?" Lenny asked again, earning a somewhat crooked smile from the man. A moment of hesitation later, he sighed and agreed, before following her to a free table, a hand on her arm.

"Never thought I'd get blackmailed for a damn coffee by a little brat like you when I woke up this morning," he grumbled as he took a seat, patting the chair as he sat down, and tucked his cane in his bag.

"Little brat yourself!" Lenny huffed, slightly offended. "How old do you think I am?"

"I'd love to answer that but unfortunately, I'm still blind," he snickered back, sarcasm dripping from his voice. He heard a deep sign coming from the woman, and at this moment, he missed his sight very much, for he was beyond curious to know what this woman looked like.

"Fine, so let's do this face touching thing, so you can stop hiding behind your blindness as a pretext, alright?" She was stunned by her own confidence, but it seemed like her mouth moved faster than her thoughts.

"Guide me," Levi ordered. "Where exactly are you?"

Lenny stood straight on her chair, "I'm right in front of you, we're at eye-level," she told him. "Wait, do I have to take off my glasses?"

"I'd be better."

His hands approached from her face, hesitantly at first, his fingers out-stretched searching for her cheeks. When they met the soft skin, he flinched slightly, then Levi let them travel down to her chin, tracing the outlines of her face. His thumb brushed quickly over her lips, not lingering more than necessary on the plump lips, and delicately moved to her nose.

"Are you really that short or is it to blame the chairs?" Levi asked, as he kept on visualizing her features.

"That's quite a thing to say for a shortie like you!" She tolled her eyes. "Besides, we are the same height."

"But you're wearing heels," he stated.

"How would you know that?" She asked, startled. "You're not a face-fetishist pervert who fakes to be blind to touch people's faces, are you?"

When Levi was done touching her, he let his hands fall on the table and even though she still couldn't see his eyes, his position clearly showed that he didn't find that funny.

"I have ears, that's all," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. The waiter then came with their drinks and they waited until he was gone to keep on talking.

"So, wh-" She started but got cut off.

"I'll make it easy for you, so we can move on, okay?" Levi said, earning a confused frown, and as Lenny was about to ask him what it meant, he spoke up again. "No, I have not always been blind. Yes, I miss seeing stuff. It happened when I was seventeen. How? I was being a reckless shithead and I got what I deserved. And, yes, I do my hair myself. I know, it looks good..." He finished by sipping at his coffee.

"Wow, thanks for the information," Lenny said. "But I was just about to ask you if you wanted to take a guess at my age now," she said, causing a long silence to settle between them. She took the opportunity to detail him.

Levi was surprisingly prim and neat for someone who couldn't even see himself. But above all, he was incredibly handsome with his pale skin and jet-black hair, styled in an undercut, and falling before his eyes.

"I don't know, I'd say twenty-two? Twenty-four at most?" He said, in a rather bored tone. "Fresh out of Uni, and still excited about life, from what I can see."

The woman burst in laughter, throwing her head back, along with her impressive mass of black hair. "Well, that's really sweet, but I'm twenty-nine actually," she confessed, then took her tea and put the teabag out of the cup.

" _Sweet_ ," Levi said, as if tasting the word on his mouth. "What about me? Can you guess?"

"Seems like we're about the same age to me. Early thirties maybe?" Lenny titled her head to the left, in an attempt to see under his glasses, but in was no use.

"Don't cheat, you have to say a number," Levi stated.

"Thirty-two then."

"Close. Thirty-four," he declared and took another sip of his beverage.

"You look younger than that," the woman shrugged before remembering it was useless.

"I have to take you by your word I suppose," Levi said. But before Lenny could come back with a sneaky comment, she looked at his face, and she saw that he sported a smirk. The closest to a smile that she got to this moment.

"I'm curious, how many times did someone spill coffee over you for you to have a spare shirt?" Lenny smirked a little.

"Tch, with you included it makes... five? No wait, does it count if someone bumped into me and spill my own coffee on me?" Levi thought about it and counted on his fingers as he asked that.

"Yup, it definitely counts," the woman answered.

"Eight then."

"Eight?! That makes a lot. And how many of them offered to have a coffee with you to apologize?"

"Only you," he admitted, his fingers distractedly playing with the coffee spoon as he shrugged.

"Tell me, what are you doing here this early?" She asked him, to fill in the blank.

"I suffer from chronic insomnia and I was bored, so I figured I'd go out and get coffee. Seems like the coffee came to me in the end," he playfully added, as if taking joy in burdening her with guilt. "You?"

A small smile threatened to slip her face in two as Lenny finally got him to get into this conversation without the sarcasm tainting his voice.

0000

"Oh crap! I should go, I still have work to do!" Lenny said when she looked at her watch.

"Is photography even considered being work?" Levi ask, only to annoy her. "You know, I told you you didn't have to stay with me."

"And I said I didn't mind. I have a really good time, Levi," Lenny said, earning a surprised expression. He didn't seem to be used to that kind of compliment. "I come here every morning, so if you ever can't sleep, or feel bored or whatever, feel free to join me, I'd love to see you again!"

Levi smiled slightly and nodded, as he heard the sound of cloth and the screech of a chair being put back in place.

Lenny said goodbye, and Levi waved at her as she paid for their drinks and walked away, and when the clicking sound of her heels on the marble floor vanished, he murmured, "I'd love to see you too."

0000

"It's the sixth time this month that we meet here for breakfast," Lenny realized, when the staff of the small Café – who were used to her – started giving her motivation looks and push her to make a move towards Levi. That should probably weird her out but Lenny was past this. "If I didn't know you, I'd say I'm starting to grow on you."

"Tch, don't be stupid, I'm only here for coffee and you happen to be here as well, it's just a coincidence," he huffed, not even hiding his smile anymore. Suddenly, his cheeks flushed with light pink and Levi seemed to stare down. That's something that's never happened before. Levi usually just stare straight ahead of him, as any other blind person, yet he was looking down, a gesture that Lenny interpreted as embarrassment.

"Can I ask you something? I haven't really talked to anyone but you these days and I wouldn't know who else to ask that," Levi confessed, still looking away, though he never really seemed to look at her – which saddened her a bit, for she was obviously attracted to the man, yet he couldn't even see her.

"Of course, go ahead," she said, waiting patiently for his demand.

"I noticed that you don't like to talk about yourself, but could you make an exception and describe yourself to me?" He asked, rather uncertain about her answer. Lenny smiled softly, regardless to the fact that he couldn't see her – because she knew that he felt it, in some way, when she smiled.

"Well, for you, I'll try – but I'm warning you, I haven't seen a mirror in days, I probably look like shit," she joked, to show him it was okay, and to wipe away his embarrassment. "I can skip the face I guess?"

"Yeah, but tell me what color your eyes are."

"They are brown. Plain and boring brown. Disappointing, isn't it?" Lenny sighed. She always wished she was one of those blue eyes brunettes that filled her instagram dashboard when she was young and dumb.

"No, not at all. I'd give everything to see that color again, even just once," Levi kindly replied.

"Oh sorry..." The woman muttered, not proud of herself that she keeps forgetting about Levi's disability. Oh what she'd give for him to see her! Not that she found herself attractive or pretty, she just wanted him to see again, and then, he would be able to see _her_. Lenny felt as though she would never come to terms with her attraction towards him, because he could not be attracted to a ghost – yet that's how she supposed he saw her, an abstract and colorless figure, with only a voice and no real appearance. Whereas she could see Levi in all his glory. Even from his five foot three, he stood tall and proud, making other men look ridiculous next to him, and he was always so gorgeous. Damn, Lenny was almost jealous.

"Don't ever think about apologizing for this. I'd rather have you forgetting about me being blind than making a fuss out of it," he chased the little misunderstanding away with a hand gesture and put his hands around the small cup of coffee to warm his hands. It was beginning November after all. "Please, go on."

"My hair is black, just like yours, and it's long – it goes to my waist. Today I'm wearing a long sleeved gray dress," she stopped there, not knowing what else to say, that wouldn't bore him.

"Don't be afraid to give details, I want to have a clear picture in my head," Levi pushed her.

"Well, I- I have a black belt around my waist because I think it makes it look smaller. I have black boots – and yes, they have heels because I don't like being too short. I don't wear any jewelery, or nail polish, and I never style my hair because I don't know how – at my best, I can put it into a ponytail or bun. I also have this weird little white spot on my forearm, and I have no idea where it comes from, but who cares?"

"There are moments where I miss my eye sight more than others. This is one of them. You must look beautiful," Levi said, making Lenny blush furiously at his words. But beyond the compliment, she was also very aware of the genuine sadness in his voice, and she felt a knot form in her stomach. He deserved better. Without thinking twice, Lenny let her fingers brush over Levi's hand, that was still around the cup of coffee on the table. She felt him tense up, but she didn't back away, and took his hands in hers, not saying anything, until she felt a slight squeeze.

"Levi, you can ask me to describe you anything you want," she said, making it sound like a promise. And that's exactly what it was.

"Lenny, are you busy tonight?" He asked, out of the blue.

"No, I-"

"Would you mind joining me for diner? I'll cook," he offered her. Lenny was at the verge of a nose bleed, she could feel it.

"You can cook?!" Is all that she managed to croak out.

"How the hell do you think I survived all this time?" He raised his eyebrows, curious as to what she'd answer.

"I don't know, take-away Chinese food?" She shrugged, because that's basically what she didn't once every other day.

"You're silly," Levi laughed at her.

"So, is it a date?" Lenny asked, seriously this time.

"Sort of."

0000

"You are a Chef, Levi!" Lenny repeated fro the thousandth time when she finished her plate. She never expected a blind man to be that skilled with a knife and a spatula, but his grilled chicken serving and salad was the finest meal she had eaten as far as she could remember. She just dug delivered food, do not judge.

"Thank you, I haven't cooked for anyone in a while, I didn't know how it's turn out," he said, as he brought his fork to his mouth, finishing his plate as well.

"Well, it was delicious, and if I still had room, I'd eat more of it, but sadly I'm a small piece of woman," she laughed, earning a frantic smile and a soft touch of the hand.

"You're too nice, you know that?" Levi told her. Lenny's smile disappeared. "Are you okay? Did I say something wro-"

"How do you know something's wrong?" Lenny cut him off. "You always seem to know. Most people don't notice even though they can see."

"I don't know, I just do."

"Tell me," she insisted, sensing that he was lying.

"It's stupid," he argued.

"I bet it's not, just tell me."

Levi allowed a minute to pass before speaking again, "Fine... When you smile, I can feel it because it feels like I can see a bit of light, as if you smiled so bright that I could see it, despite my disability. So when you stop, it goes... dark again, I suppose." Silence followed his declaration. "Told you it was stupid. Fuck, I'm a grown up man, saying stuff like that!"

"It wasn't stupid. It's incredibly sweet, nobody never told me that," Lenny admitted, smiling kindly and letting her hand trace small patterns on Levi's forearms, making her way to his hand and holding it.

They didn't sit at the table, Lenny suggested they sat on Levi's coffee table, to be more cozy. That came in handy now, and allowed the woman to shift closer to the man. He refilled their wine glasses – he insisted on doing small things like that, as if he made a point to prove her that he could still do things by himself no matter what.

"Are you wearing your glasses?" Levi asked Lenny.

"No, why?" She got her answer when Levi's hands cupped her face, his thumb tracing small circles on her cheeks. Soon, his other hands joined the first one and he touched every inch of her face, hr eyes her nose, her lips, her chin. Nothing escaped his sensitive fingertips, and Lenny's breath was caught in her throat.

"Levi..." she said, and he put his hands away from her face. "Why are blind people always wearing black glasses? It doesn't change anything for you, right? It's just dark."

"We don't do it for ourselves. It's for the others," he shrugged before standing up, dishes in hands. Lenny followed him to the kitchen, with their empty glasses in her hands.

"For other people?"

"Yeah... It makes them uncomfortable when they see a blind person without glasses. Our empty eyes staring into nothingness... Everyone freaks out when they see this," he said under his breath, almost in a whisper. Lenny walked around him and put her hand on his arm to get his attention.

"Can I see for myself?" She asked carefully. The woman understood what he meant, but she didn't like to be put in the 'everyone' box, and if he was the wear those glasses all the time, she wanted to know that it was for a good reason. A legitimate one.

"You don't know what you're asking me," Levi looked up, though his face didn't meet hers. He never totally aimed right when it came to 'looking at her'.

"Please, Levi," she demanded. "I'm not going to run away, you know. I just want to see you. Just once."

It took several minutes for the man to react, and it was only to release a deep sigh, but he eventually moved his attention from the dishes to Lenny, who waited nervously, biting her lip in anticipation. Levi hardly remembers being so scared of something ever since he got that accident and woke up blind. His hands were shaking when they grabbed the glasses and put them on the kitchen counter. Yet his eyes were still tight closed.

He felt a warm hand on his cheek, and his eyes opened in surprise. When they did, they stared a little above Lenny, who had taken off her shoes when she arrived. She looked at his eyes intently, searching for something – she didn't know what. A milky white veil had fallen before his irises, and their light gray color was unnerving to her. Lenny felt a bit silly for being so moved at this sight, but a slight trembling took over her hands and she felt as though Levi had stripped down in front of her. This was beyond intimate.

"I told you it was horrible, stop looking," Levi said, turning away and patting the counter for his glasses. "Where are they?"

Lenny hid them behind her back, before remembering how dumb this gesture was, and she simply put it away, on another piece of furniture. Levi had closed his eyes again.

"Did you take them? Lenny, give them to me," he demanded, stepping in front of her.

"They are not _horrible_ , Levi!" Lenny felt the need to say. "Your eyes are not something to be ashamed of! Nothing about you is to be ashamed of!"

Lenny was cornered – her back was pressed against the kitchen wall and Levi stood before her, blocking the way.

"Give them back! I don't want you to see me like this!"

"Like what?"

"Vulnerable!" He shouted, putting his hand over his shut eyes and rubbing them. "I shouldn't have shown you in the first place."

"Levi.." the woman's voice said softly. "Look at me."

"I can't!"

"Yes you can!" She argued. Suddenly, Levi felt a pair of hands remove his own from his face, and grab his chin. "I'm right here, all you have to do is open your eyes, alright?"

"Don't you think I know what I look like? I've seen people who got blind in an accident like mine when I still had my eyes! I knew they are white and lifeless, like dead fishes' eyes!"

Lenny shook her head, and their faces were so close that Levi could feel it. He could feel every breath she drew.

"You're wrong," Lenny objected. "They are perfect. Beautiful, and gray and stormy like a troubled sky, I refuse to let you hide that from me."

All of a sudden, Levi opened his eyes, as he slammed his hands each side of her head, making her jump in surprise.

"Is that what you want? Tell me, Lenny! Is it? Forcing me to show the thing I hate the most about myself?"

"I understand Levi, believe me, I hear everything you say. But we're alone here, and it's your home. And I'm telling you that your eyes are not what you think they are. They are just another thing that I love about you," Lenny yelped, earning a stunned expression. She took his face between her hands and placed his forehead against hers.

"You shouldn't say that..."

"I carefully chose each word Levi, and I mean all of them," she assured him as she felt him lean in slowly, his nose brushing against hers. Lenny finished to close the space between them and kissed him.

It seemed to her that he stopped breathing for a second, as though he was shocked that she did the first move. Lenny on the other side, was glad she finally gave in to her urge to kiss him, because it felt exactly like she imagined, and even better. His lips molded against hers as if they were made to meet, and they were so soft she could hardly believe it. Levi gave a faint bite on her lower lip, making her gasp and open her mouth just enough for him to deepen the kiss, which made her smile. His hands had found her hips and the small of her back, pressing her against him, and Lenny's hands were all over Levi's neck and face, as if afraid to let go, for he could vanish in the air. It was simply unreal, and the woman, despite the several men that came and left her life, felt as if she had never kissed before. Maybe it was because Levi was blind – they had to put everything in their voice and their gestures – touching each other was amplified by the lack of eye sight.

When Levi's hands snaked around her thighs, Lenny wrapped her legs around his hips without thinking twice about it.

And blind or not, Levi didn't need to see anything to lead them both to his bedroom.

0000

The sleeping woman slowly emerged from her slumber and stretched her tired limbs, feeling the soft sheets stroke her naked skin and the warmth of the sun piercing through the window on her legs. Lenny rubbed the tiredness away from her eyes and turned around, patting the bed but grasping nothing but the sheets. Shifting suddenly, she was met by an empty spot beside her and a note on the pillow. In a messy writing – of course Levi couldn't see what he how he was writing so it was understandable – it was written: **Job emergency. Had to go. Feel free to shower and eat breakfast. - L**

As it was written, Lenny stayed a little longer in bed, face buried in Levi's pillow, letting the reminiscence of their night come back to her. He was astonishingly good in bed for a blind man, and he knew exactly where to touch her to drive her crazy.

After that, she took a shower, with the fresh towels Levi cautiously placed on the edge of the bathtub for her to see, and she headed to the kitchen to make coffee. It had to be the first time in ages since Lenny drank coffee that didn't come from the Café. From the corner of her eyes, she spotted Levi's glasses, still on the table where she put it last night. Did he leave without them?

Anyway, she couldn't stay here all day, she had work to do, she was planning a new vernissage and she still had loads of stuff to do. When she finished her coffee, she got dressed and left the apartment.

The next day, she realized that they didn't have each other's phone numbers, so she randomly decided to drop by Levi's work, hoping that she'd see him. He told her he worked for a huge pharmaceutic company, and thankfully, Lenny knew were the building was.

She was excited to see him even if chances to see him were small, though also a little disappointed that he didn't even try to contact her, or show up at the Café this morning.

Yet, as soon as the building entered a vision field, she spotted him, standing outside the doors, talking on the phone. It looked like a fiery conversation, he seemed rather upset – maybe not the time to say hello, but Lenny wasn't just going to turn around and walk away. She soon arrived and just then, Levi hung up and aid something to the fully black clothes man standing still next to him, and he headed to a car the same color.

"Wait! Levi!" The woman yelled, trying to catch his attention. The man stopped in motion and turned around, searching the origin of this shout, thinking he had imagined it.

"Levi!" Lenny eventually reached him.

"Give us a moment," Levi told the giant still standing behind him. The man left them alone.

"Hey, what was that, your body guard?" Lenny joked, still catching her breath after running all the way to him.

"Yes."

" _Yes_?" She croaked out. Suddenly Levi lifted his hand and vaguely pointed to the building. Ackerman  & Co. Pharmaceutic Research. "You told me you worked here, not that you _owned_ the whole company!" It was more of a squeal than a statement, but he understood anyway.

"Well, I also work here, it wasn't a lie," he shrugged, a smirk on his face. "So, what are you doing here? Stalking me already?"

"I- I was just wondering if you- I don't know actually, I guess I wanted to see you again," Lenny mumbled awkwardly, instantly forgetting all the reasons that made her come here in the first place. She earned a long sigh as a response, and the black-haired man pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Listen, Lenny... Don't get me wrong, I really like you, but... why are you doing this? You're a smart, funny and beautiful woman in the prime of life, you should go after equally handsome guys, and not lose your time with an old grumpy blind man," Levi state, causing astonishment to settle on Lenny's face.

"So, what you're telling me is that you're not good enough for me?" She clarified.

"Yes."

"Okay so let's get this straight," the woman said angrily, putting a finger on the man's chest, earning a surprised expression. "I don't care if you're older than me, blind or the rich owner of a multinational company, nobody – and I said _nobody_ – gets the right to tell me how I should feel! You understand me?"

Levi pushed Lenny's accusing finger away from his chest and looked down, his glasses reflecting her angered stare. He obviously had several pairs of those.

"Please, think about it Lenny. Give it a day or two to think this through, and we'll meet again, alright?"

It was clear as water that this was the best she would get from him today, so she nodded, and then remembered he couldn't see her and told him 'okay', before turning around and storming away. She never expected this to turn into an argument.

The next day, Lenny felt better, less upset, more positive. She spent all day working on her photoshoot and didn't think about Levi too much. Just a bit.

And the second day, she saw him waiting in line at the Café, she walked up to him, but at the last second, she decided against it – it was too soon – and she walked away, not even buying her coffee. Actually, she left so quickly that she didn't even see Levi turning around as he thought he had smelled her perfume, only to meet the empty space before him.

But the third day, he was there again, waiting for her, she presumed. Levi was elegant, as usual, wearing his black jeans and perfectly ironed white shirt, all of this matching his smoking jacket, and his black glasses perched on his flawless nose. The woman ordered and drink and joined him, not saying a word.

"Excuse me, this seat is taken," Levi said, thinking it was someone else.

"Well, I was kind of hoping you were saving it for me, Levi," Lenny said, her tea in front of her. She'd swear she heard him sigh out of relief.

"Lenny," he said softly. "I thought you wouldn't come. I was a bit harsh last time, I'd like to apologize to you..."

"I accept your apology, and I understand. It must be unnerving for you. But you must know that I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to. So, how were the last two days for you?" She asked him, changing the subject since she didn't want to waste time in formal apologies.

"Lonely. I realized you were the only person who talked to me. Other than my employees saying 'Good Morning Sir' and stuff like that," Levi begrudgingly admitted, slightly biting his lip.

"I don't want that to be the only reason for you to sit here with me," she said, feeling her heart clutch. He couldn't just talk to her because no one else did, right? He had to _feel_ something.

"No, I- I truly appreciate you. Believe me, I wouldn't do all this if I didn't like you, but-"

"But I should be chasing after self-centered dicks who will most definitely break my heart,because obviously you're not good enough for me?" Lenny heard her voice say before she could stop the words from pouring out. She would've slapped herself if they weren't in public. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Yes. I will never be able to offer you a fulfilling life. Whatever you expect this to be, dating a disabled person is never a good idea," he argued. What hurt the most was probably the fact that he sounded so selfless while saying that. He genuinely believe that it was the best for her not to get attached to him.

"Oh shut up!" The woman exclaimed. "That's not for you to decide!"

A small smile appeared on Levi's lips. "You're right. Now, tell me, what have you decided? Or maybe do you need more time to think about it?"

"I didn't need time to 'think about it' Levi. I knew right away that I wouldn't change my mind. Those two days were for you, I figured you needed them to think it through and understand that you deserved to be happy just like everyone, and pushing me away wasn't going to make that happen."

Her declaration stunned him, and Levi was speechless for a while. He was froze in place, until Lenny's hand came and grabbed his, interlacing their fingers.

"We're not teenagers Levi. We're both adults and I can deal with my decisions and their consequences. I want to be with you. I wanna give it a shot."

Bringing their laced fingers to his mouth, Levi kissed her fingers. "Alright, I have no counter-argument left, you win. Lenny, would you join me for a walk this afternoon?"

"Depends, is it a date?" She smirked.

"Tch, yes it is, silly."

0000

"I'm home!" Lenny shouted as she arrived at Levi's apartment. She took her shoes off along with her coat and threw her bag on the floor, really tired and worn out after such a long day. As her vernissage approached, she was getting more and more busy and stressed out.

When she walked into the living room, Levi was standing there, waiting for her. His milky eyes staring right through her, but the welcoming smile on his lips greeting her home, like everyday. After a while, he started growing comfortable around her, and he stopped wearing his glasses and hiding behind them when they were alone together. Lenny couldn't ask for a more genuine sign of love. It's been eight months that they started seeing each other, and she already practically lived with him. She used her own apartment as work place, photo studio and atelier.

"Hi, Love," Levi said, as she threw her arms around him, pulling him in a tight embrace. It made him laugh lightly and he hugged her back, feeling her nuzzle in the crook of his neck. Levi breathed in the delicate scent of her familiar perfume, sticking to her long hair.

They stayed in that position for a solid ten-minutes, and Lenny eventually let go, cupping Levi's face and softly pressing her lips on his, kissing him deeply and tenderly.

"Long day, ugh?" He guessed.

"You have no idea! And I don't even have one acceptable photo!" She groaned, letting him go and walking to the kitchen to get some water.

"Any reason to this?"

"I hate my models, they are spoiled little brats! I don't even care about the money, I'll pay them and send them back, I don't want them to be part of the vernissage!" Lenny said, wondering how the hell she would replace them. A group photograph was supposed to be the master piece of her exposition, and now she would have to find something else in no time! Of course, she had a little idea, trotting her mind, but there was zero point zero one chance that would happen. Still, she had to ask.

"How can I help?" Levi asked, as he began to cut the meat for tonight's diner. "I can give you a bit of money if you want new models, you wouldn't have to pay me back."

Lenny stared at him, and she knew she felt her eyes on him when a playful smirk painted on his face.

"I refuse to take your money, I'll do with what I have. There is one thing I want to ask you though..."

"What?"

But she didn't answer and simply put her hands over Levi's,making him drop the knife he was holding, and she took his face in her hands, pulling him down, just enough for her to capture his lips in yet another kiss, causing him to smile in it.

"I love you," she uttered in his ear after breaking the kiss.

"Wow, that must be one hell of a request," Levi teased her, earning a shove in the shoulder. "Tell me what it is, Lenny!"

"I'm in terrible need on a master piece for my vernissage, now that I know the group picture won't do. I'd like it to be a picture of you," she said, dropping the bomb just like that. Levi slightly backed away from her, out of surprise. "Without glasses."

A long, tensed silence filled the room.

"I will respect your decision if you refuse, but I'd really love it to be you. You might not have seen any of my photographs, but I can assure you that I never expose anything unless I find it perfect, and I am absolutely certain that this picture will be perfect, because we love each other and that's something that people see: when the photographer and the model love each other, it's obvious, just like it is when they don't. And I assure you that people will love you just like I do."

"I don't know, Lenny, that's a huge deal for me. It's like asking me to act in a porno – no actually, I'd probably do the porno – but this is- it's huge," he said, leaning against the counter.

"I know, you don't have to answer me now, I just thought I'd ask," Lenny reassured him, gently rubbing his arm and placing a kiss on his shoulder. Levi suddenly looked down, his dead eyes not quite grasping her but still, he was trying, as if hoping that one day, he would look at her, and she's appear to him, as clear as daylight.

"Oh shit, I put lipstick on your shirt!" She mumbled, rubbing the thin fabric.

"Dammit Lenny, it was the last clean white shirt I had! You're doing this on purpose just because you like it when I wear black shirts, just admit it already!" Levi laughed, causing a smile to tuck at his lover's lips.

"Arg, you caught me!" Lenny exclaimed in an over-dramatic way.

0000

So many people came! Lenny felt overwhelmed as people gathered around her shots and looked at it, judged it, some bought it, some snorted and left, but she couldn't care less, she was on cloud nine. It was by far her most successful exposition and she was busy for most of the night.

It was only when things had slowed down that she actually got a rest and took the time to come up and speak to her usual customers who came every time. There was this old English couple who seemed to come straight out of a historical movie with their fancy and old-fashioned clothes, and they grew quite fond of the woman. Lenny adored them, and not only because they paid a generous amount of money for her work, they were nice people.

"Oh Dear, here you are! We thought we wouldn't get to see you tonight!" The woman exclaimed as he husband smiled through his huge mustache.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect so many people, but now I'm all yours," Lenny apologized and looked at the picture that caught their attention.

The theme of the vernissage was 'look beyond' and there were pictures such as a pregnant woman, the night sky, the city from a rooftop on a clouded day, and so on... But of course, there was her master piece, the diamond among the gems. Levi's picture. It was a simple mugshot of him, with opened eyes, and a fain trace of lipstick on his lips, for Lenny had kissed him before taking the photograph.

"This piece is extraordinary, dearie, I never saw something like that before. It's pure and honest, we love it!" The old woman continued, gesturing to the picture. Lenny had made it pretty big, it was half the size of the wall, and she chose a very pale color palette, mostly blue and white, and Levi was shirtless.

"Yes, I think too. It's my favorite by far," she said, a smile lingering on her lips.

"And that bit of lipstick on his face, I find it great! Whose is it?"

"Mine, actually. It wasn't planned at first, I took the shot as a test and then I wiped it off. But turns out this was the best one."

"Who is he?" She then asked, to Lenny's surprise. That wasn't a question she got often, but it seemed legitimate since she accidentally dropped that she kissed her model.

"His name is Levi. And he's my life partner," she said, feeling her cheeks flush at the words. "He is just over there," she said as she pointed to a corner of the room. "If you want to meet him."

"Oh we'd love to!"

Lenny went to get Levi, who was conversing with two men she didn't know.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but I have to steal my boyfriend from you," Lenny laughed as she looped her arm under Levi's, earning a scoff and a smile. "There are some of my loyal customers who'd like to meet you. They love your picture."

"As if," Levi said, frowning his eyebrows, though it was hard to tell with his glasses on. Lenny ignored the comment and led him my the arm to the old couple.

"Mr. and Mrs. McClaire, this is Levi Ackerman, the man sharing my life and the model of this photograph," she said proudly, her eyes never leaving Levi's face.

"Aren't you two adorable!" The woman kept on cooing. "This picture is stunning, you really art a piece of art Mr. Ackerman, take it from two art collectors!"

Levi blushed furiously at this, not used to that kind of blunt compliment, and thanked them both.

"Miss Lenny here is a true pearl, if you want a piece of advice: don't let her go," she smiled and took her husband's arm. "Well, we'll let you two enjoy your evening. Do you happen to know where Miss Chloe is? We will definitely add this one to our collection."

Lenny nodded and showed them where her friend and also sales executive, Chloe, was. After that she came back to Levi.

"See? They love it! Everybody loves you!" She smiled brightly at her lover, not caring who could hear them. "And I love you," she purred, stroking his cheek with her right hand, as Levi placed a kiss on her palm. "More than anything."

"I love you too Lenny," he said, taking off his glasses to her surprise. "At least someone bought it, so we won't have to hang it in our living room."

He never said 'my' living rom, or 'my' apartment. It was always 'their' home. She loved this. Lenny chuckled.

"Give me your hand," she ordered. Levi out-stretched his hand and she took it, before placing it on the wall, next to the picture. "Can you feel this? Do you know what it is?"

She let go of his hand and Levi traced the outlines of what she wanted to show him.

"Feels like little circles. Stickers maybe?" He guessed.

"Yes. And how many are there?" She asked him.

A minute passed before he had counted them all. "Twenty-two? What does it mean?"

"It's the number of persons who bought it. And it's a record for me, the second best-selling photograph tonight only sold ten! And art isn't cheap, Levi," Lenny stated, waiting for a reaction.

"How much do you sell this one?" He asked.

"I don't fix prices. Customers pay what they can afford and what they judge reasonable. But most of the customers are posh art amateurs, and they pay good. The biggest donor gets this one," she explained, her fingers brushing over Levi's photo. "And everyone gets an official copy."

"Do you know who will get mine?"

"Probably the the McClaires, they are the wealthiest people here, they have a huge mansion outside the city and it is filled with paintings and sculptures and pictures like this. They almost always get the originals."

A smile was put on Levi's face, and his opened eyes were the only thing Lenny could look at. They were marvelous.

"Thank you for accepting Levi. None of this would have been possible without you," she said, placing herself at eye-level with the dark-haired man, his hands founding her way on her waist. "You're my master piece. And thank you for dealing with all my artistic shit and agreeing to let me see your eyes whenever I want and not getting tired of me. Thank you for loving me." Tears were prickling her eyes, but Lenny swallowed them.

"Shut up idiot, if you start crying I will too," Levi huffed. Lenny didn't bother asking how he knew that she was at the verge of tears, because he just knew. When it came to her, he could feel everything, regardless of his lack of eye sight. "And yes, I do love you. Which is why I'm about to do that."

"Do what?"

But before she could further wonder what he had in mind, she saw Levi put one knee on the floor and her breath got caught in her throat, leaving her speechless. Everybody in the room fell silent and they gazed at the couple, holding their breath.

"Lenny Kostnikov, or however the hell you pronounce that," Levi started, making her smile, though she had placed both her hands over her mouth and was now frantically tearing up. "I know it's been less than a year that we've been together, but I don't really need anymore time to figure out that you are the person I want to spend my life with. I don't know why, but you seem to have taken a liking in the blind asshole that I am-" This made the crowd smile some people even laughed lightly. "-but the fact remains, and I'm about to take Mrs. McClaire's advice quite literally," Levi resumed as he pulled out a small velvet box and opened it, revealing a stunning white gold ring, with a ruby on its top. "I never want to spend a second without you. Lenny, will you marry me?"

The woman was still having a hard time trying not to cry out frantically and hold in her sobs, one hand covering her mouth, as she nodded energetically. The silence prolonged and nobody dared to say a word.

"Lenny, you know I still cannot see you, so if you're crying and nodded your head please say something, I'm growing nervous," Levi whispered only for her to hear.

"I'm nodding my head," she said, in a wheezy voice. Levi let out a relieved sigh he didn't know he was holding in. "Yes, Levi, yes I will marry you!"

She let him put the ring on her finger and stand up before throwing herself in his arms and strewing kisses all over his face as the crowd behind them began to applaud and whistle, making them both smile so wide their feared to tear their faces in two, but they couldn't care less. Levi lifted up his now soon-to-be wife, his hands on her hips as he spun her around, her beautiful silky evening dress swinging around them.

"I've never been happier than the day you spilled coffee on me, Lenny," Levi then said, after putting her down. "As weird as this sounds."

"If I knew I would be that effective, I would have done it sooner!" She said, playfully. Suddenly she realized what she'd said. Levi raised an eyebrow at her, his gray eyes absently meeting her own eyes.

"Are you saying you did it purposely, just to have an excuse to talk to me?"

"Sort of," Lenny admitted, the blush on her cheeks increasing. It earned her a chuckle. "What?! You were intimidating! I needed a pretext!"

"You're such a goofy woman!" He laughed. "That's why I love you so much."

Lenny's expression softened and she placed yet another kiss on his welcoming lips. "Love you more."

"Oh c'mon, don't start me on that, I'll win!" Levi said, taking his loved one in his arms.


End file.
